Tajikistan & Uzbekistan

[Brian Ellis]

Fritillaria eduardii is becoming rare due to massive picking of the flowers to sell,
it can be still  found in more isolated locations or on cliffs where people can not reach them.

Do they sell F.eduardii as a cut flower or do you mean they dig up the bulbs Oron?

[tonyg]

Brilliant to share in your trip Oron.

I saw an article recently where it was reported that vast numbers of Frit eduardii were picked for 'cut flowers'.  Not digging but no flowers = no seeds and colonies die out.

[Oron Peri]

Flowers are picked as cut flowers and sold by the side of the roads.
At the moment dozen of thousands Tulipa praestans and T. greigii are sold in this way, vendors ask 20 cents of a Dollar for each stem.
Unfortunately we have seen it happen every day!

[arillady]

Oh dear but I guess they need the money to survive.

[Brian Ellis]

I saw an article recently where it was reported that vast numbers of Frit eduardii were picked for 'cut flowers'.  Not digging but no flowers = no seeds and colonies die out.

Thanks for that Tony, what a shame

[BULBISSIME]

Just found this topic.. Another great trip Oron ! Congratulations again for your pictures, nice to see all this plants in the wild, not only irises ;-)

[krisderaeymaeker]

Just found this topic.. Another great trip Oron ! Congratulations again for your pictures, nice to see all this plants in the wild, not only irises ;-)

  As I do Fred ....breathtaking series ! Such a pleasure to see al those plants in such enviroments ....

Many thanks Oron !

[Oron Peri]

I'm continuing  this thread as i have been asked  by a botanical artist to who currently works on the Anemone of Central Asia to organize a field trip to Tajikistan.
The aim was to find as many taxon out of the eight growing in this area.
We based in the capital Dushanbe and from there went  for daily trips concentrating mainly on the Hissar Range also known as Hissor or Gissar Range, One of the three hugh ranges situated North of Dushanbe.
I haven't made many photos as i was to busy finding the Anemone.

[Oron Peri]

Spring is just arriving in the high  elevations areas but most are impossible to reach as it is just impossible to climb these step slopes with rivers in between.
In the small valleys near the rivers we have seen some astonishing carpets of flowers, consisting mainly from Corydalis popovii and Fessia puschkinioides in its Blue form.
 

[Oron Peri]

Iris vicaria appears by the millions soon after snow melts it is very common through the whole region while Iris rosenbachiana is difficult to see. We found a small population near Anzob River

[jandals]

Thanks Oron . I've really enjoyed seeing a unique part of the world

Cheers , Steve

[arillady]

I too so enjoy the opportunity of 'travelling' to these other countries to see their wild flowers and to get a better idea of the requirements of different species. Thanks Oron.

[Oron Peri]

Thanks Steve and Pat,

Here are two plants i have found only this year;
The Central Asian Adonis turkestanica that seems to appear soon after snow melts and Ranunculus tenuilobus, growing along the Anzob river. The leaves seems like Adonis but flowers and typical roots are of Ranunculus.

[Oron Peri]

The lovely Anemone bucharica and luckily we have found the three variants of Anemone biflora,
In particularly I'm happy for finding var. eranthioides that grows at high elevation.

A. biflora var. petiolulosa
A. biflora var. gortschakowii which is not common in Tajikistan
A. biflora var. eranthioides, a little jewel growing on step slops under Anzob Pass (3372m)

[Oron Peri]

The road to Anzob pass